


The Wild Land Beyond

by GedankenTheory



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Watership Down - Richard Adams
Genre: Alternate Universe - Watership Down, Gen, Rabbits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 12:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19945882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GedankenTheory/pseuds/GedankenTheory
Summary: Lightning had always wondered what it was like outside. To be free to silflay where he wished, without the restrictions that the family of man set on him.





	The Wild Land Beyond

Lightning had always wondered what it was like outside. To be free to _silflay_ where he wished, without the restrictions that the family of man set on him. 

Sometimes, he even wondered what his scar must look like, that marked his forehead. He’d never seen it clearly, not in the water. But he could feel it whenever he sat down to give himself a thorough wash.

The words of wild rabbits, different, varied, curious, were passed onto him through word of mouth by the field mice and the smooth snake that frequented the garden where he sat within his hutch, waiting it’s next meal or bathing in the sun.

They were his friends. His only ones. He couldn’t count the rabbit in the hutch above him as one, huffy and prone to bite him whenever the pair were together. He was much larger than him and unwilling to share food, never mind space.

So he supposed, that was one point to the men that cared for them.

Not that he wanted to score them on anything else past _hrair._

But, today, as he nosed about the end of his hutch, catching the scents of fresh dandelion and daisies that the men had yet to clip away from the grass, a new, quite muddied, smell came to him. It smelled of the fields, of dirt and the wind and thistles. And as it came closer, Lightning realized that it was a _wild rabbit_. Never mind his nose, the tap of their paws against the ground made sure of that.

“Is anyone ‘ere?” whispered a voice, speaking clear (if roughly accented) Lapine.

Lightning straightened at once, his ears pricked and alert. “I am,” he called back in as low a tone as he could manage. “So is another, Popcorn, above me. But I think he’s asleep.”

“Great Frith, I though’ this day would never come! I’ve finally found you.” The owner of the voice hopped into view - and by the light of day, Lightning had never seen a bigger rabbit. He was bigger than a cat!

“What do you mean?” Lightning said, fighting back the wavering fear that prickled through his paws.

“I knew you when you were very little…. Well, smaller than you are now. The name’s Bryony, and I’ve come to break you out.”

“Break me out?” Lightning asked, his tone raising in confusion. “Whatever for?”

“You don’t belong in that ‘utch of yours any more as I do,” Bryony said simply, leaping up onto the box containing all of their food supplies so he could better see and survey the metal wiring. 

“And why do you think that?” Lightning backed up, eyeing him carefully.

“You’re a wild rabbit. Not one of the ones like ‘im above you.”

“I’m a what?”

“A wild rabbit,” he replied, regarding the leather straps that crossed over the top and bottom of the hutch. “Your parents were, and so’s you.”

“My parents?” Absolutely bewildered now, Lightning hopped closer to where Bryony was, his ears twitching back. “You know what happened to them?”

“They died trying to save you. That’s why you’ve got that scar.”

Immediately, Lightning dropped back on his haunches, raising his fore-paws to touch the furless patches. Tracing the lines there carefully. 

“Now get back, I’m gonna’ set to work chewin’ on this.”

By this time, Popcorn had snorted awake. Shaking his head, he peered out between the wires of his own hutch. “What’s going on?” Then he shrieked. “A wild rabbit! What’s a wild one doing here! Get away! Go away!”

Bryony glanced up at him with a growl. “Shu’ up, we’ll be leaving shortly.”

“‘We’, who’s this ‘we’? You better not mean that I’m going to be leaving with you, because I’m not having that!”

“No,” Lightning said, before Popcorn could start off again. “I’m leaving with him.”

Bryony’s eyes twinkled. and Lightning was sure he could see both happiness and relief there. 

“You?” Popcorn spat. “… I’ll yell for the men to come, I will. They’ll deal with you both.” 

“You won’,” Bryony growled. “You try, and see what happens.”

Popcorn squeaked and fell silent.

Soon, Bryony bit through enough of the leather to loosen the end of the hutch’s wood. And, shoving and kicking, he brought it crashing down.

Lightning, stood up on his hind-legs, eyeing the broken pieces, then Bryony, then the world beyond him. 

“Come on then, let’s get you out of ‘ere and somewhere better for rabbits than near man’s warrens.”

Lightning hesitated, then, slowly, carefully, he hopped his way out from the confines of the hutch, and down, with Bryony’s encouragement, onto the grassy floor of the garden patch.

He froze, the open space stretching out ahead him and all around him, an overwhelming feeling. But Bryony pushed him gently forwards and he followed along beside him.

Not looking back once, as they left Popcorn and his old home behind him.


End file.
